Fibrosis is the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue in response to an injury and/or inflammation. Fibrosis in response to an injury is also called scarring. Fibrosis may also arise due to pathological states, such as mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), pulmonary fibrosis and scleroderma.
Pulmonary fibrosis and scleroderma are leading causes of mortality. Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and variable blistering and scarring of one or more of the mucous membranes and the skin. MMP affecting the conjunctiva is known as ocular MMP (OcMMP) and can rapidly cause blindness in patients.
There are at present no approved therapeutic treatments specifically for fibrosis, and current immunosuppressive or anti-inflammatory therapies are generally ineffective. There is therefore a need for new drugs which can reduce or prevent the formation of excess fibrous connective tissue, and thereby treat diseases involving fibrosis, such as mucous membrane pemphigoid, pulmonary fibrosis and scleroderma. One particular need is for drugs that can be used to treat or prevent fibrosis in the eye, for example OcMMP.